


Percy Jackson & The Sexuality Crisis

by literary_shitstorm



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Bisexual Male Character, F/M, M/M, Percy is bisexual, Self-Discovery, Sexuality Crisis, all that jazz, he's a bi mess we all know it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2020-09-01 00:32:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20249197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/literary_shitstorm/pseuds/literary_shitstorm
Summary: Percy Jackson is bisexual. He likes boys and girls. Ghee, did it take him a while to figure that out.





	1. Girls

Percy was six when he developed his first crush. Her name was Hannah and she was in his classes at school- although it could barely be called that. Currently, their education didn’t seem to extend beyond making pasta necklaces on string, making cards for family members and on some days, learning the beginnings of the alphabet.

Hannah was nice to Percy but most people weren’t.

He liked the way that Hannah would offer to help him when he couldn’t quite make out the letters on the page: _we can work together_, she’d say with a giggle and a smile before bringing a ridiculously neon sharpie to his paper and helping him trace the outline of the letters with his fingers. He felt happy when she’d skip across the playground from her group of friends during lunch when he was sat alone against the wall; he liked the way she’d sit and talk with him about whatever crossed her mind whilst they shared the paper bag of sweets his mother had brought home from her job.

But Hannah was the only one that he liked, the rest of his class consisted of mean kids who would pick at Percy’s every move. They were only six, but the phrase _children can be cruel_ didn’t come from nowhere. They would make comments about the holes in Percy’s shoes, asking why he didn’t have nice clothes like they did. They would ask him why he walked to school in the morning whilst they arrived in nice cars, being waved away by parents in three-piece suits. When Percy told them his mother didn’t have the money to pay for those things, the other children would sneer and laugh, telling him to _get more money then_ because they were children and they didn’t understand money the way that Percy needed to. 

Things only got worse when the older kids from other classes began to notice the holes in his shoes too.

Hannah was still there though, always a sunny presence at his side-he trusted her, he decided. The morning after Percy told Hannah that his mother didn’t have a car, she bounced up to his side the way she always seemed to. She had long since abandoned her group of friends; they too made school hell for Percy. Before they sat down in the shade to eat their sandwiches, she simply thrust a piece of paper towards him- it had a big, blue car drawn on the front. Here, she’d said with a voice so full of glee that it could only be a child’s, _now you and your mom have a car!_ Percy had thanked her with a hug, it was the first time he’d ever hugged someone who wasn’t his mother, and rather than sharing his bag of blue sweets, his gave them to her as a gift. A fair trade.

He told his mother about Hannah when she would come and pick him up from school, still in her work uniform. They would skip down the streets of New York together whilst he would tell her about all the nice things she did for him, tell her about how he liked the color of her hair and the blue band she used at the end of her plaits. His mother would smile down at him, laughter on her face when he told her about a joke they had shared in class together. She would ask him if Hannah wanted to come round for dinner one day, and Percy would say no, because the other kids told him that he and his mother were _poor_ and he didn’t want Hannah to know what that _really _meant. His mother’s face had fallen at that and they didn’t skip the rest of the way home.

Everything was okay until the bullies started to pick on Hannah too. They would call her names; ask her why she wanted to hang out with somebody like Percy when she could hang out with people like them. His heart would swell when her tiny voice would raise and she’d defend him with everything she had, calling them out for being meanies and bullies and telling them to leave her and Percy alone. Sometimes they would, but sometimes they would just push past her and chase Percy anyway- because Percy’s shoes had holes in and sometimes that meant that he cut his feet on the playground stones.

One day on a cold February morning, Hannah asked Percy if he wanted to come to her birthday party. She warned him that there would be other people- nobody from school because they were horrible- but a few others from her dance class. She told him that he was her favorite person and that she wanted him there more than anything else, poking him in the shoulder like she always seemed to do. It didn’t take him long to agree, a big smile plastered on his face. They sat down for lunch as usual and Percy let her have the blue M&Ms because they were her favorite.

Later that day, when Hannah had gone home early because of a dentist’s appointment, the bullies had come up to Percy again- they knew that Hannah wasn’t there to tell them off this time and that Percy wouldn’t stop them on his own. That’s what they thought until he pushed one of them, anyway. It was unfair because they pushed Percy all the time and he had only pushed them once, but apparently the kid had fallen over and hit his head. Percy didn’t remember much, but he did remember the colour red staining the concrete where the boy had landed.

They had called the boy’s mother in and also his own. He does remember being sat on the chairs outside the Principal’s office as the other woman’s voice rung out loud and angry. _He’s violent and I refuse to send my boy to the same school as that demon._ Percy tried to speak up and tell them that the other child was mean too, but he quickly learned that nobody wanted to listen.

By that evening, Percy and his mother were searching for new schools and Percy realised that he would probably never see Hannah again.


	2. Boys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: this chapter contains a lil' bit of underage smoking and quite a bit involving homophobia

Percy had just turned 11 the first time he had a crush on a boy (not that he knew at the time, of course). Isaac was one of his roommates at school- his _boarding school for wayward children_. He met Isaac for the first time on his very first day when they took him to his dorm room, planning to stash him away with the other delinquents and rebels. _Out of sight and out of mind._ Isaac had been assigned to him, told to drag Percy around with him until they found the time to sort out his timetable.

Percy had been hooked the moment he laid eyes on the other boy. Isaac was a year above him; he had a crooked smile that screamed trouble, even Percy knew that much. His hair was a blazing red color (obviously, dyed) and he had a sliver ring glinting in his nose. Percy had frowned upon noticing the accessory, when his mother had read the rules and regulations to him he remembered a certain statement- _no piercings or jewelry._ Something about the look in his new friend’s eyes told him that he didn’t care for authority, good. 

As he got to know the boy more, he found it hard to understand how somebody like Isaac could end up in a place like this. Sure, the boy had an insatiable craving for danger but he had a heart bigger than almost anybody Percy knew. He was kind to just about everybody, no matter how much they ribbed him for his hair or his piercings. And God, he was wittier (prettier) than anyone Percy had ever met, always giving people a taste of their own medicine in the best ways. Isaac had blushed when Percy had asked him on one of their all-nighters: _It wasn’t the system that put me here, Perce, it was my dad. Said I needed correcting_. Before that, it had never occurred to Percy that somebody might be in here because they were signed up, not because of some stupid ‘letter of recommendation’. Isaac had laughed when Percy told him what he thought of his dad, and they’d lain together on Isaac’s bed and talked the rest of the night away, shoulders touching.

As the year began to pass at breakneck speed, Percy found himself only growing closer to the vibrant boy with equally as vibrant hair- now a deep green. Everything seemed brighter around Isaac and together they made some of the best memories Percy had, ones that were sure to stick with him until the day he died. There was something so exhilarating about sneaking out of their dorms together in the dead of night, meeting outside the gate to wander around New York in the dead of night under the beaming skyscrapers and billboards. More often than not, their hands met, even if it was just to lead each other through the early morning crowds. Isaac was the one who introduced him to skateboarding, leading Percy to the richer area of the city to the park where Isaac had first learned to skate- it was where Percy first learned to skate too. Isaac had offered Percy his first and only cigarette, laughing when he spluttered and coughed and almost fell off the ramp. Still, he smoked the whole thing just to be closer to the other boy.

It had been on one of these nights out together that Isaac broke down in front of Percy for the first time, sobbing into his gloved hands as their feet dangled over the edge of the bridge they sat on: _I’m gay, Percy. That’s why my dad sent me here. He doesn’t think that it's right, it’s like I said- he thinks I need to be corrected_. Percy had sat and listened with equal parts horror and confusion. Horror because _how could somebody treat their own kid that way_ and confusion because, honestly, Percy had never met somebody like Isaac before. Nobody had ever told him that boys were allowed to like boys. In fact, he remembers Gabe’s rants in front of the TV, slandering just about every group of people he could think of. He was sure he’d heard Gabe mention the topic at least once when his mother wasn’t home.

Percy didn’t like boys, he _couldn’t._

But Isaac had kissed him for the first time that night and Percy found it harder and harder to tell himself that he didn’t like boys.

The pair of them continued that way, sneaking out into the middle of the night. Mostly they skated, learning new tricks, making jokes and showing off to one and other. Sometimes, they kissed and lied together under the stars until the sun began to creep over the skyline, sharing every single thought that seemed to cross their mind. On a rainy night in early April just before the holidays, they’d sat in a quite frankly disgusting public toilet whilst Isaac dyed his hair deep royal blue color, even convincing Percy to dye a streak in the front of his own. They’d washed their hair in the sinks and laughed as they splashed each other with water, Percy seemed to have _very_ good aim. They’d returned to classes the next day with their arms linked, unable to stop the laughter whenever their eyes met in the hallways. Things were the best they’d been for a very long time.

Percy had never had a holiday feel as slow as that Easter, he enjoyed spending time with his mother, of course, but being at home meant dealing with Gabe and considering his recent endeavors, the thought didn’t exactly fill him with excitement. All he could think about was Isaac, Isaac who had become his best friend and _something more_. Percy didn’t quite know what yet, he wasn’t sure he fully understood, but whatever it was- _he liked it._

When he returned to school, he was buzzing as he pushed in the code to their dorm room, expecting to find the other boy lying on his bed with his trademark grin on his face. Instead, he found a stranger, another boy introducing himself. He had boring hair and a bored look and his face and _he wasn’t Isaac._

When he asked the teachers most of them said they didn’t know. He finally got an answer from his geography teacher who told him plain and simple: _I heard his dad pulled him out suddenly over the phone, didn’t sound very happy. Sorry kid, I know you two were close._

After that Percy’s year was hell.

Until he fired a cannon at the school bus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soo...I hope you liked the second chapter?? I figured I would post it in honour of my favorite characters birthday! Happy Birthday Percy Jackson!
> 
> I forgot to mention in my last notes- if you like this (if you do- why?) my tumblr has the same name!


	3. Luke Castellan

Percy was 12 when his life as he knew it ground to a halt. All of a sudden everything had changed: Gods were real, monsters were real and his mother was _gone_ and that barely even scratched the surface of everything he’d learned. All of a sudden everything that had ever gone wrong in his life made some kind of sense- the mysterious goings on, all the mistakes that he swore weren’t his fault; hell, even his ADHD and dyslexia meant something. _He wasn’t just a failure. _

Years of experience meant that Percy knew how to keep a cool exterior for the most part, he knew how to dull his eyes and play it dumb until people left him alone long enough that he could bring some sort of order to his thoughts- but every single time he thought that he was just beginning to make sense of everything, they would throw something else at him to completely wreck him inside out. It was all a lot to handle. _Understatement of the year._ Percy didn’t want to admit it, but he knew the feeling in his throat was a dangerous one, the nagging sensation behind his eyes that told him he was on the verge of tears. He just needed a minute alone, a minute to recollect himself, but until then he was sure that if anyone else even spoke to him he might just burst out crying.

Then there was Luke. Luke who welcomed him into the Hermes Cabin and quieted the space around him whilst the other members tried their best to swarm around the new meat. Luke who helped him set up his space on the floor with nothing but calm words and peace, everything that Percy needed in that moment. Luke who took a quick moment to tell Percy where the quietest places at camp were, telling him with a warm smile that he to needed a place to get away from everybody sometimes. Luke who told him that he had to go, but promised to save a space for him at dinner.

To make matters worse, the more time Percy spent around Luke, the more he realised how attractive Luke was. He was all harsh lines and sharp edges but everything about him exuded this _power_ that Percy wasn’t sure he’d ever seen before. It was a different kind of sheer force Percy had experienced when facing the Minotaur- this was pure heroism. And then Luke was running his hands through his _golden_ hair and they were sparring _together_ in the arena and Luke was _complimenting_ him and Percy was _gone_. Percy was gone because Luke was brave and kind and heroic and handsome and giving Percy everything he wanted whilst simultaneously giving him absolutely nothing but a role model and somebody to talk to. It was ridiculous and somewhere underneath it all Percy felt ashamed because everything else was going wrong and the world itself seemed to be collapsing but Percy was too occupied with his _crush_ to face up to any of it.

Before long, Percy was whisked away on his quest with his best friend and an _extremely_ bossy blonde called Annabeth and Luke became nothing but a nagging thought in the back of his head during the dull moments. 

And then the quest was over and Percy was hailed a hero, he had Grover and Annabeth and his mother was back. This demigod situation didn’t seem like such a shock anymore; he finally felt like he belonged. For the first time in his life he was being praised and respected, he had younger campers coming up to him in huddles, screaming and shouting and asking questions. Some of the older campers took a few minutes to come and give him a pat on the shoulder. He even got a few thumbs up from across the dining pavilion. Still, he found that there was only one person whose opinion he really craved. It almost hurt to look over at the Hermes table and see his space next to Luke filled.

Percy found it hard to swallow his heartbeat thrumming in his throat when he found Luke in the training arena and the older boy asked him if he wanted to sit in the forest with him because he’d smuggled in a six-pack of coke for _them_. He could feel the sweat gathering on his palms and he tried his best to wipe them on his jeans, only to cringe in horror when he noticed the marks they’d left. _Oh Gods, he was a mess_ and Luke was _Luke_ and he really was out of his depth here, wasn’t he?

But then the words that he was being told failed to make sense. He wished that the Earth would just swallow him whole because _Luke was the traitor_. His head hurt and his eyes felt like they were scorching in his skull because even the sight of the other boy was too much to handle right now, he felt like he was burning up and freezing at the same time because _it was Luke_. It couldn’t be Luke, not the same boy who welcomed him with open arms, made him feel at home in a place where he’d felt anywhere but. And then the horrible thought hit him:

That was _why_ Luke had done those things.

Luke was only nice to him because he wanted to use him. Luke didn’t care what had happened to Percy’s mother. Luke didn’t care if they’d gotten hurt on their quest. Luke was the person they’d been chasing this entire time- most importantly; Luke had been willing to let Percy accept the punishment for his crimes because _Luke had only been nice to him so that he could use him_.

Luke left Percy writhing in agony on the floor, poison flowing through his veins. 

Every feeling Percy had felt towards Luke was replaced with pure rage. He hated Luke because Luke was a _liar_ and a _manipulator_ and a_ traitor-_

At least that’s what Percy tried to tell himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whooo third chapter and it's Luke, obviously, because everyone knows that our boy Percy had a HUGE crush on him.
> 
> Hope you liked it??


	4. Annabeth Chase, Part 1

It took Percy until he was 14 to figure out just how royally screwed he was for his best friend. He was honestly shocked when the revelation hit him, but he supposed there was a reason so many people would joke about him being utterly _oblivious_. Deep down, he’d always felt something Annabeth (at least, he thought he did- feelings are confusing), but feeling it and accepting it are two vastly different things.

For the longest time, he’d taken any semblance of romance he’d felt towards her and shoved down into the deepest part of his stomach, praying to keep the feelings at bay because the world was ending and _they had a job to do_. Yet still, he couldn’t help but find himself staring as she seemed to glow in the sunlight, the way her blonde curls seemed to form a halo around her head on the pavilion at dusk. That was not even mentioning the life that bloomed from her eyes; the way they could transform from a steel, stormy grey to one of velvet, smooth and warm. Annabeth had grown up from the lanky 12-year-old he had met what felt like eons ago- she’d bloomed into the most beautiful person he’d ever seen.

But that beauty wasn’t limited to appearance- in fact, he just considered that a bonus. It was her personality that he found himself so drawn to. She managed to be so volatile, almost dangerous, yet she kept her exterior as the calmest person in the room. He found himself mulling over her witty comebacks and snarky comments for hours, sometimes even days, unable to shake the echo of her voice in the back of his head. _Seaweed Brain_. She was always with him, physically, in the summer; even when the school year came around she was a constant picture behind his eyes. A crush on Annabeth Chase certainly did not help his concentration in class.

He found himself restlessly waiting for her day trips to visit him in New York, not missing the sly eyes his mother would make at him when he’d linger in the window until he saw those familiar curls coming up the stairwell. There was no time without Annabeth, only the time until she came around again. Somewhere in the middle of saving the world and fighting monsters _she_ had become the thing that his world revolved around. She had been there, through all of his greatest victories and all of his lowest lows, she was one of his only constants in his world that seemed to be changing so quickly.

The worst part of it all- there was no way he could assure himself that she truly felt the same way. Annabeth was powerful, much more powerful than _him_. But beneath that she was awkward and she struggled to articulate herself and _she was kind_. Unfortunately for him, Percy was sure that she cared about him no more than she would care about a best friend.

Sure, they’d shared small moments: the kiss on the cheek after the chariot race when they were thirteen, the dance on Olympus just weeks ago. There had been something so solemn about the way they’d held one and other, a beautiful moment twinged with an unshakable sadness. He couldn’t dwell on that though; _there’d never been a happy moment in his life that didn’t come with some kind of misfortune._

No, that was a lie.

The happiest moments of his life were not killing monsters, leading people into battle or even returning home to his mother (as much as he hated to admit it). The only moments in his life when every fear truly seemed to melt away were the evenings spent between just the two of them, lying on an isolated hilltop beside the lake away from the prying eyes of others. When they could talk about everything at a million miles an hour, or simply sit in silence basking in each other’s company. Those are the moments that he clung to, the ones that kept him sane whenever he felt like he was going to break.

He found himself at a crossroads when he finally came to the conclusion that Annabeth Chase was truly the thing that mattered to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, that took it out of me. I feel like this one is slightly different from the others so far and it's definitely shorter, but it seemed to come to a natural conclusion. I kinda realized that there's not really any plot in this one but I _think_ it's okay??
> 
> If you thought this was good be sure to check me out on tumblr! I have the same name


	5. Rachel Elizabeth Dare

Even at 15 Percy was sure that there weren’t many people quite like Rachel Elizabeth Dare in the world. She was like nobody he had ever met and _that was saying something_; even at his age he’d come across more than his fair share of eccentric characters. She was passionate and forward in a way that Percy had never experienced before, she wore her heart on her sleeve and told him things straight- she lacked the complexity of some of his _other_ relationships. Spending time with Rachel was easy, he didn’t have to worry about appearances or manners or anything of the sort and it was nice to just exist with another person. He hadn’t had friends at school for a long time.

Well, _sometimes_ life with Rachel was easy. He still laughed quietly to himself whenever the memory of their marine conservation campaign resurfaced at usually the most inconvenient of times. She had somehow talked him into letting her paint his face as _a dolphin_, the pair of them ending up laughing every single time she splashed another bit of paint onto his face. It had been a borderline invasive experience; she had sat only millimetres away from his face, brows taut in concentration, swirling greys and blues across his cheekbones. It was during that hour and a half that he had tried to count to freckles that dotted her face, specifically across her nose, yet his ADHD had interfered before too long. He noticed the way she’d sweep a tangled red curl from the corner of her lashes and brush it behind her ear. In the end, she had just as much paint on her face as he had on his. The day had been exciting, they’d laughed and shouted and gotten chased through Times Square by a police officer- it felt like the most real fun he’d had in years.

Not to mention his mother _adored _Rachel. More often than not, he’d make his way home from the skate park only to find the two of them caught in zealous conversation over the coffee table, Paul watching amusedly from the kitchen. They were both massively artistic- the most creative people Percy knew- it was no wonder that the two of them got on like a house on fire. Despite that, Percy couldn’t help but feel unsettled by their closeness; he’d never had a friend as close to his family as Rachel was, it scared him. She reminded him of Isaac; he couldn’t help but wonder this was how his life would be had things gone right. After years of dodging bullies and _friendships_ in general, it was foreign to see two aspects of his life interact that way. _Was this just how normal people’s friends and family acted?_

But it was more than that, even Percy could see that. He was getting better at facing up to his feelings as the years went on. There was _somebody else_. His feelings were muddled in his own mind, he wasn’t sure how he felt about Rachel but he knew he she didn’t feel like _her_. He liked Rachel. He liked Rachel but Rachel could never be her. He despised the feeling because Rachel didn’t deserve this. Rachel was a person in her own right- she was more than filler for Isaac or _anyone_ else- a bundle of overactive emotions and quirky artistic talent that Percy adored for its own unique way. _Gods damn it_; he did like Rachel, but no matter how much he liked Rachel he didn’t think that he could ever _love_ her. It stung and tore him apart inside, because every time she went to grab his hand or stare into his eyes there was something that screamed that _it was wrong. _

He tried to ignore it.

When Rachel grabbed his hand he would smile and tug them both forward. When he was learning to drive and she put a hand on his knee he would let her. When she would press a kiss to his cheek he would blush and look away. It was awful. Percy wasn’t old enough to have been in any kind of serious relationship, but if this was remotely what _cheating_ felt like he couldn’t fathom why anyone would do it.

None of this was fair. Rachel cared about him and he did care about Rachel and he _knew_ that. That was more than he could say for his other relationships so things with Rachel should be easy. It was exhausting to keep up. His easy friendship had turned into something much more stressful than he had first anticipated; he felt the tension build up in his body whenever she ran up to him across the campus. 

He wondered how much longer he could lie to her like this and how much longer it would take Rachel Elizabeth Dare to figure out that it would never be her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah, that took a minute. Sorry about the time between updates, life got in the way a might continue to do so for the rest of this _project_.
> 
> These chapters are just getting shorter, aren't they? It's a lot harder to write when you didn't make up the actual story- but I'll stop with the excuses.
> 
> Despite all that, I hope you liked this one. I've always found there's a bit of a gap in serious content when it comes to Percy's conflict regarding Rachel and Annabeth so I decided to make it more angsty.
> 
> As always, be sure to check me out on tumblr if you hang out over there, I literally talk to no one atm :(  
(my name is the same)


	6. Annabeth Chase, Part 2

It was when he turned sixteen and- _Oh Gods. Oh Gods. Oh Gods. He’d done it._ Annabeth was his, finally! After years of ridiculous skirting around one and other they were together and everything seemed to make more sense than it ever had. It was like seeing the world in HD for the first time, he’d always felt stronger with her by his side but this was _something else._ It was no secret that Percy was one of the more powerful demigods still kicking but this was whole new game, a whole new kind of power that left him feeling weak at the knees but at the same time like he could take on the world.

It was weird to admit that their dynamic hadn’t really changed once they’d gotten together; sure, there was the kissing, the discussions, the _relentless teasing_, but they were still the same old Percy and Annabeth. He was still her Seaweed Brain. She was still his Wise Girl. It was only getting together that made him realize that it had been that way all along. Quite frankly, it had been embarrassing to realize just how ‘couple-like’ they had acted prior to actually getting together and he couldn’t help but cringe at the thought of his younger self stalking behind Annabeth like a lost puppy. _Sheesh, no wonder everybody thought that he was a) outlandishly annoying and b) In love with Annabeth Chase since the dawn of time._ When he’d confessed that to her when they were sat together at the campfire, she only laughed with her adorable snort (he could say that now; he’s her boyfriend, don’t you know?) and told her that it was progression and that despite being outlandishly annoying, he made it work. 

Obviously his mother had been ecstatic upon finding out, immediately insisting that Annabeth come over for dinner despite the fact she had been over hundreds of times before. It had been _mortifying_. She had insisted that they go on a double date with her and Paul, complete with roses and romance and all the stereotypical things that made Percy taste vomit in the back of his throat. The only upside had been when the ‘adults’ had finally given them some peace, and Paul had pulled a bottle of wine and handed it over with a wink and a shush. _So much for being a teacher._ He and Annabeth had wrapped coats around their all-too-formal attire and sat out on the fire escape and allowing the city to pass below them as they relished in the slight buzz of the alcohol in their system.

Something had changed that night. Something had changed when they both lay on the metal in each other’s arms passing the bottle between them. For the first time, Percy realized just how _grown up_ this all was. This wasn’t the silly childhood romances he had encountered before; this was _love_ and he was prepared to do _anything_ for the girl sat in front of him and that thought terrified him more than any monster he’d faced. It would be a lie to say he hadn’t avoided Annabeth for a short while after that; it had been harder, especially because of the fact that Annabeth was now staying in New York _for him_. It was something he couldn’t help. At this point, Percy had been experiencing what he would guess is considered ‘panic attacks’ for years and all of a sudden the source of these attacks was her and their future and _Oh Gods how could they have a future together? They were demigods. _

She had been damn furious at the start, he couldn’t blame her, he’d pretty much isolated himself for two weeks, but she quickly came to understand the turmoil he was facing and they worked through everything in a matter of hours.

And that was why he loved her.

She was smart.

She was kind.

She was infuriatingly efficient about everything she did.

She teased him for every mistake he made-

But she always picked him up again afterward  
.  
As always, Annabeth Chase was the love of his life and nobody else could ever come close to mattering.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, I _hate_ and _love_ this series so much- who decided it would be a good idea to just try and rewrite canon but make it _original_? Oh right, that would be me.
> 
> I'm really trying to give this some _spice_ but writing the Percabeth chapters is particularly hard because...well...it's just canon. How I miss the days of Hannah and Isaac.
> 
> But I hate to complain (despite just complaining a shit-ton, I'm having a crisis ignore me) and I hope you enjoyed regardless, the next chapter should get a little juicier because I can stray away a little more! 
> 
> As always, my [tumblr](https://literary-shitstorm.tumblr.com/) is here! Come say hello! (I made a new account, my usernames no longer match)


	7. Jason Grace

Percy was 17 when the feelings he’d worked so hard to smother began to creep back into his mind. His name was Jason Grace and he was _not_ happy about the new arrival on his turf. 

Percy had been taken aback what their eyes met for the first time, stormy blue with a hint of grey- the grey made him shudder, it reminded him too much of Annabeth to allow him to be comfortable with the thoughts that he was unable to stop invading every single one of his senses. His hair was a stark blonde- now, that was different from Annabeth’s; hers was a soft golden colour that shifted hues in the sunlight whereas Jason’s was vibrant and electric. Parts of it almost seemed to stand on end as though they too were buzzing with the lightning that Percy could often see decorating the other boy’s fingertips. His _body_, he had to admit, was gorgeous in a way that only a…well…_guy_ could achieve. By his own admission, Percy had never been the most muscular of people but he had definitely filled out over the past year or two, resulting in a lean figure not to be laughed at- but _Jason_\- he was muscle stacked upon muscle, he was the true embodiment of everything the Romans worshiped. _Yeah, I can see why they worship this_. To top it off, he was tall and Percy didn’t exactly mind the inch or two that Jason held over him.

He felt like Jason could snap him in two and- he wasn’t exactly _opposed_ to the idea.

It was an urge Percy hadn’t felt in at least five years and it was a whole lot stronger than it had been back then. He’d been a child, 12 at the oldest; he was only just beginning to _experience_ let alone _understand_ those kinds of feelings towards the opposite gender, not even mentioning his, quite frankly, undeniable feelings for the _same_ gender. Although physically attraction was something that he had always considered, when he was younger it had been more of a simple aesthetic appreciation. Nothing could have prepared for the full shitstorm of hormones that had swiftly moved in the crush his self-esteem and any whims regarding romantic involvement. He hadn’t had long to fixate over boys, Annabeth had pushed those feelings away pretty firmly and every single romantic thought his mind could muster was ruthlessly targeted at her and her _only_. So why now, when he had finally gotten the girl of his dreams, was he feeling such an _undeniable attraction_ to this goddamn son of Zeus?

There was a level of guilt that dragged him to the floor whenever he found Jason in the same room, he felt like he was cheating just because of the simple butterflies that flipped in his stomach. It was a similar feeling to the whole debacle with Rachel, only ten times worse. Annabeth didn’t deserve to have to fight for Percy’s attention for gods’ sakes, she was his girlfriend! But that didn’t change the fact of the matter; he really couldn’t draw his thoughts from Jason and everything about him.

Pining in silence only made the guilt and the feelings worse.

And to top of the _worst sundae_ that Percy had ever managed to create, Jason was annoying as fuck. The guy was easily one of the most idiotic people he had ever come across and that was really saying something. Humble. He was sickeningly humble, it actually made him feel physically ill when he watched the way Jason would bashfully turn away compliments with a blush and a small smile. Sometimes, in spite of his raging physique, he could be so gentle in his actions and the way that he treated people that it made Percy feel like his brain was finally waterlogged beyond recovery. He had a confidence that was enviable; whilst he had gone his entire life questioning everything choice he had ever made, Jason seemed to breeze through the days without a care in the world whilst simultaneously managing to bleed compassion. And his fatal flaw? _Temptation to Deliberate? Give me a break._

As a result of this deadly concoction of emotions that Percy found he was utterly unable to repress, he did the stupidest, most childish, idiotic thing that he could possibly muster- he shut himself off and turned _mean_. It was the only way he could possibly react to what was going on inside his head, especially when they were faced with such a pressing task at hand. He made sure to close himself off to Jason (and, in turn, Piper- he thought it was a shame because they seemed like they would get along) in every way that he could, filling the void between them with snide comments and turning his entire life into an accidental battle of ‘who can be the bigger man?’ Easily, the worst thing about it was how people just accepted that this was how he was acting- Jason just fought back with equal ferocity and it made him feel sick to the stomach.

And he did all this without even stopping to consider any form of sexuality. It took his crush (yuck) on Jason to realize that perhaps Annabeth hadn’t completely subdued his feelings towards other guys, but that maybe he had just forced them down the way he was doing now. Only they had been small one-time meetings or a polite appreciation of a nice-looking man- what Percy was feeling towards Jason was full blown romance but he wasn’t _gay_, he knew what happened to people who were gay and he _loves_ Annabeth-

“Penny for your thoughts?” her voice cut through the night air, joining him at the side of the Argo II, overlooking the landscape below. Speak of the devil.

“It’s nothing; just go back to-“

“It’s Jason, isn’t it?” Percy’s heart dropped to his stomach; _Oh gods, she knows and she’s come here to break up, fuck, fuck, and fuck_-, “Don’t look so scared, I’m not mad.” It was her laugh that brought him some semblance of peace; it was her real, snorting and chortling laugh. She wasn’t lying. She was not just okay- but _amused_ at whatever was going on.

“It’s really not anything to do with that idiot-“

“Percy,” she began, a new softness claiming her features, “You can act all macho in front of them, but you really think you can pull that with me?” He could sink the quiet huff that pushed its way out of his nose, and he felt a peaceful warmth spread around his stomach as Annabeth latched an arm around his side. Everything about her was so quaint in the moonlight, every sharpened edge that she wore daily had softened in the bluish glow. She was far too good for him, he decided, before taking another deep inhale,

“I don’t…know. I can’t tell you what’s going on, I’ll let you know if I do.”

“Can I tell you what I think?” She mused with the same cheekiness as before. He humoured her with a nod. “I think that you _like_ Jason- ah, _don’t interrupt_\- and that you know that, you’re just to scared to admit it. You’re worried that because you’re with me, you can’t feel that way. Percy, you can’t control how you feel.”

She was right. Every nerve in his body jumped and writhed; he felt as though he was on the edge of a cliff and his next move was the difference, would he stay or would he fall?  
“I don’t want to…feel…that way about him,” She frowned as the words left his lips, “and I care about you more than I care about him.”

"Gods, Percy, I know that!” She huffed, smacking his side, “But like I’m trying to say, you like him, regardless! That’s okay, you idiot!”

“Annabeth don’t pretend like you could be-“

“I’m perfectly okay with this, thank you very much. I know that you would never act on it- as long as you’re not going to go and cheat on me with some big hunk of meat, I don’t see a problem.”

They stayed in silence for a while after that, it was tense in a way that didn’t normally occur between the two of them yet they both still managed to bask in the presence of the other.

“Is it really okay? Really?” Percy’s voice came out much more mouse-like than he had anticipated, a small flutter that would’ve been lost in the wind had they not been stood so close to each other. The sun was beginning to spread across the skyline.

“I love you, Percy Jackson. After everything we’ve been through, you think telling me you bat for both teams is going to make me think any less of you?”

“I’m sorry- _what the fuck_,” he burst out in a fit of laughter, unable to control the wheeze that built in his throat as he leaned over the side, “What do you mean ‘bat for both teams’?”

“You’ve never heard anyone say that?” she stated incredulously with owlish eyes, “Percy, what planet have you been living on?”

“One that is apparently much gayer than I had first thought.”

They spent the rest of the morning like that, happily connected in each other’s company. Percy had by no means come to terms with the way that he felt- towards Jason or any other men for that matter- but he felt much better about it having Annabeth on his side. That was one thing that would never change. But he was sure that different things would come with the blooming horizon and who knows, maybe the Grace kid could teach him a few things?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All I can say is: damn, that took a while.
> 
> I wish I had a cool, swanky interesting reason as to why this took so long but uh...I don't? It's the same old usual blah, blah, work to do and lack of computer software to actually write on.
> 
> But it is here now and I am hoping to get the final chapter in a lot less time than it took me to write this one. I hope you all enjoy it- sorry if it's kind of weird, I wrote half of it weeks before the other half and I think I developed an entirely new writing style in that time- go figure.
> 
> If you're enjoying this, come hang out with me on [tumblr](https://literary-shitstorm.tumblr.com/), I post all sorts of various fandom bullshit there!


	8. Boys and Girls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: there is a mention of some adult/upsetting themes in this chapter so if you know that those kinds of things bother you, please tap out on this one.

Percy Jackson was 18 when he came out to his mother and stepfather. The whole thing had been quite a teary affair, the three of them sat across from each other in separate chairs while Estelle played blissfully unaware of what was taking place above her head. It had taken him a while to get it all out, quickly realizing that no amount of blinking was going to rid the tears beading in his eyes and, then, allowing those tears to turn into gross hiccupping sobs. He had a feeling they’d know what he was going to talk about from the moment he opened his mouth but they hadn’t interrupted once, his mom had wiped away tears of her own but they’d sat in silence until he finished what he’d had to say. 

It was just as he was beginning to get his breath back again and compose himself that both she and Paul had leaped forward from their seats to engulf him in a cocktail of arms, snot and _I’m so proud of you_’s. Percy had never felt so overwhelmed in his entire life and he’d fought just about every monster the world could muster- _hell_, he’d needed a nap afterward. It hadn’t been before he shot a quick text to Annabeth telling her it had gone well, just as she had predicted. She’d offered to be there with him; he’d wanted to do it alone, he adored Annabeth but this was years in the making, including those before he had fallen for her.

After that, being ‘out’ was weird. Percy wasn’t quite sure what he had expected, from past experience regarding the ending of the world he could vouch that _that_ was most certainly not happening. It threw him off kilter to realize that the world was still spinning and that it hadn’t stopped for a single second because _Percy Jackson is bisexual_.

He didn’t know if he wanted less or more, to be honest.

For so long it had been the axis of what had happened around him, the basis of so many of his interactions. In some of his relationships, the threat of his sexuality had been a constant dagger pricking at his chin, forcing him to keep his head up and his eyes open to every single movement he made. In some of his relationships they had put an _actual_ dagger to his chin. Yeah, _that hurt_. But being out made the dagger disappear, his sexuality was more real than it had ever been yet he no longer felt the burn in his chest when he saw a hot guy on the tube or he thought the pizza delivery girl had nice eyes.

Annabeth had been a Godsend (ha, ha, _hilarious_, nice one), never once had she criticized him. Not a negative word had crossed her lips. The two of them had sat through countless conversations under the stars, sharing quiet words about the things the two of them had experienced and the ways that they wanted their life to go. She’d even brought him a pink, purple and blue snapback, _who knew?_

He’d thought things would have at least changed with Annabeth, but no.

Well, they _did_ check out hot guys together.

Percy had run into Hannah one day in early February when he and Annabeth had ventured out into the biting cold for pancakes. They’d found her working as a waitress to try and make ends meet, auditioning almost daily for different theatrical productions, particularly on Broadway. After the first round of food, they convinced her to sit with them and eat for a while considering the sheer lack of business that was going on due to the snow-laden streets outside. They’d spent hours filling each other in on their lives since that day, Hannah revealing how she been heart-broken and _royally pissed off_ to come back to school and find out that her best friend had just vanished without any real traces. It had felt natural as they traded phone numbers, both him and Annabeth gushing with promises to come and see her new show as they ventured into the elements with hands intertwined.

Percy wanted to be sick when he heard about Isaac. About the fact that the boy hadn’t made it past 15. About how he’d taken his own life surrounded by far too much hatred. Annabeth had been with him when he found out, eyes widening as he burst into floods of tears and curled in on himself. It eventually evolved into a panic attack that she was quick to calm him down from; he’d explained to her what had happened over the dry slice of toast she’d made him eat after he threw up. Isaac quickly became a prominent figure in the traumatic bank of people that Percy considered those he couldn’t save- what hurt more was that the monsters Isaac had faced weren’t bred out of ancient myth and legend, they had read to him every night as a child and turned their back on him when he’d needed it most. It had taken a few days for Percy to locate where exactly Isaac had been buried, turns out it was some fancy affair somewhere around the upper side of the city. He’d trekked there as soon as he’d found out regardless of the chilly weather and quickly setting sun. Percy didn’t smoke but he lit a cigarette between his lips as he sat on Isaac’s grave: he smoked the whole thing just to feel closer to the boy. 

Percy didn’t even think about Luke Castellan.

Percy and Rachel Elizabeth Dare were still very good friends in spite of the chaos that seemed to generate whenever the two of them were around each other- they hadn’t had a prophecy on _at least_ their last three visits. Rachel was still the gorgeous, disordered artist that Percy had taken a shine to all of those years ago, but he’d since relegated his feelings for her. After _that_ rejection, _who couldn’t?_ Once the complexity of those feelings had been swept under the rug, their relationship had blossomed into one that Percy wouldn’t trade for the world and he was always glad to have her by his side. He’d come out to her not long after Annabeth, well, he said ‘come out’ but she had a knack for being able to tell about stuff like that. She, just like his mother (as always), had wrapped him in a hug with a few stray tears and told him that it made absolutely no difference, ribbing him about the fact that it made her rejection _even more_ impressive because he was ‘playing on a wider field’. Percy adored spending time Rachel Elizabeth Dare.

Percy had always known that coming out to his group of friends had been next in line after his parents, he figured that the more people he told the more word would just _travel_ and he wouldn’t have to waste time explaining himself to _every single person_ he met. Needless to say, they too met his announcement with cheers and rounds of applause, large hands clapping him on the back and ruffling his hair, Annabeth positively beaming at his arm. Whether it was through jokes or praise, each and every one of them offered their support with sincerity burning brightly in their eyes. Piper had eyed him not long after with a knowing smirk across the campfire, sticking her tongue out and squeezing and hand around her boyfriends’ bicep. _Like that, are we?_ Since getting out of his funk, Percy had found that he and Piper, as predicted, actually made a great pair. It was nice to know she didn’t hate him for having raging hormonal feelings for her boyfriend.

In spite of all of those different stories, the biggest relief Percy felt was sitting down with Nico Di Angelo. 

“So, this whole time, you knew you were into guys?”

“Hell no- I mean, a bit,” Percy sighed, watching the sun beginning to lick the edges of the lake, “I think deep down I always knew but my brain didn’t really consciously recognize it if that makes any sense?”

“Yeah,” The other boys’ voice lacked the spite it often did when talking to him, exchanged for a soft, uncertain mumble, “I get what you mean.”

“It makes no difference, you know?” Percy wrapped an arm around his shoulders, tugging Nico closer and the boy huffed with disgruntled surprise, “You’re still you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Nico rolled his eyes, “If I wanted that spiel I would’ve gone to Hazel. I’m just pissed.”

“Pissed at what?”

“Pissed that I spent the most recent years in agony thinking I had absolutely no chance with you, now I’m in agony just knowing I ever felt that way. God, it was pathetic.”

“Aww, don’t worry. You never had a chance with this ass anyway.”

Percy Jackson was 18 when he was finally happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to give a big thanks to everyone who has stuck with this series- even if it took about 4 months longer than intended lmao. The world is in a really shitty place at the moment and if this is what I can do to provide before some kind of momentary relief from it all then it's what I'll do. I hope that everyone is safe right now.
> 
> To everyone else who is bored out of their mind, my Tumblr is @literary-shitstorm (I'll be changing my name on here to that sometime soon, I just wanted to finish this story first)
> 
> Thanks again, I'll see y'all in another story! :)

**Author's Note:**

> So, I've seen a few things floating around about Percy's sexuality and decided to put my own spin on it! I know not everyone thinks that Percy is bi (huh you're wrong xoxo), but this is just my opinion.
> 
> On the note, uh, hope you like it? I don't- but it's here anyway.


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